It’s the Little Gifts That Matter

Do you remember your favorite wedding gift? How about a wedding gift you still use?

Mine are these two OXO plastic grip mixing bowls with pour spouts. I even remember who gave them to me. I opened the package at one of my bridal showers and thought, “What are these? I didn’t register for these.”

And I didn’t, but as time went on in my married life, those bowls have become two of my favorite things. They’re perfect for everything I do, since they have a grip on the bottom to keep the bowl from sliding across the counter, the pour spouts are designed for batter, and the grip on the side is great for easy stirring.

It is the perfect example of how a small gift (one I didn’t even want at the time) ended up being perfect. Sometimes, the little unexpected gifts are the ones I appreciate the most.

My mother-in-law once got me a candle wick snipper. I love that thing. She saw me admiring it at Cracker Barrel (all of $6.95) and bought it for me. I use it everyday. And now I think of her and smile every time I use it.

My friend Julie bought me stay-at-home socks for my birthday. What are stay-at-home socks? Well, they are wonderfully soft, super fluffy, and fantastically fuzzy socks. What makes then stay-at-home is the fact that when she bought them – they were all out of popular colors. So, she had to buy the last two pairs – salmon orange and neon green – hello, 1989! So, she told me I could have them, love them, and that she’d kill me if I ever wore them out of the house. And you know what? They are my absolute favorite socks and they go with absolutely NOTHING I own, so they’re perfect for cuddling up and watching TV on the couch.

Angie once included me in her May Day project and dropped off a carefully decorated soup can filled with candy and May Day wishes. The soup can (still beautifully decorated) made a perfect pencil cup for my counter. It’s great to have two pencil holders now. Small thing, yet it makes me think of her every time I jot down a note.

Camille (Gary’s daughter) gave me a little notepad that says, “Chicken, Egg, Chicken, Egg – What to buy first?” I don’t know why, but every time I look at it, it makes me laugh.

I’m a giver. I like to give people things. It’s how I give and receive love. But it’s nice to know that it isn’t the cost that counts. It really is the thought!